He has had the chance to meet and work with the likes of Thomas Enqvist and Roger Federer during his time with JA alone.
Here, he shares his photos and memories from meeting these top players as well as the lasting impact they made on the professional tennis coach.
THOMAS ENQVIST
“In addition to being a great champion of the highest level, Thomas is also heavily involved in charity events and tennis promotion, especially for children around the world. I was fortunate enough to work with him on three separate occasions for JA events. It was very helpful on a personal front as he gave me a lot of very practical advice and useful insight into working with children. He is a regular hotel guest and will soon return for more JA events.”
ROGER FEDERER
“I was lucky enough to meet Roger during the IPTL tournament that took place here in Dubai. I was also able to have dinner with him one evening, which was a wonderful experience. He is a very humble and friendly person who willingly shares advice on how to approach the game of tennis at the mental level. He also revealed that his strength and fitness were the elements that have allowed him to have such a long career.”
DENIS ISTOMIN
“I met Dennis at the JA Tennis Academy in December last year while he was preparing for the Australian Open. He was visiting the Emirates to play in the World Championships and stopped by the JA Jebel Ali Golf Resort to train with his national team. He was incredibly approachable and took the time to sign autographs for fans and guests. Denis also told me that his number one trick to improving his backhand is to work hard on the position of his feet (sideways) approaching the ball. This technique ensures the body does not loose balance during the movement of the arms which helps the direction of the ball.”
JONAS BJORKMAN
“I have hosted several JA events with Jonas and I must say he is a brilliant example of how deep respect and passion for tennis can elevate a player to even higher levels. If I were to give a player advice, it would be to follow a pattern of behaviour similar to champions such as Jonas. In fact, Andy Murray chose him as a coach which ultimately saw him grow and improve throughout 2015.”
EKATERINA MAKAROVA
“Ekaterina is a very kind and sweet girl who has always been very helpful when the children are training at JA – she always manages to make it fun on the court! She is a dedicated player and trains very hard for up to nine hours a day with her Russian national team. As a player, she always give her best in every game and impresses with her incredible strength.”
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